sister act: santa fe - sorrento twins

**jut703** · July 7th, 2012 04:28 PM

If you're looking for good value diesel SUVs, all you really have under 1.5M are the ff:

1. Kia Sorento LX CRDi (1.330M)
2. Kia Sportage EX CRDi (1.290M)
3. Hyundai Tucson GL CRDi 4x4 (1.388M)

My vote? The Sorento. As has been said time and time again, you can't buy space in Banawe.

Because the Sportage is quite small even for a CUV, while the Sorento has more interior space than the Fortuner and Montero Sport, there's really a noticeable difference in the stance of the two. For me, mas karespe-respeto yung Sorento by virtue of its size.

Nevermind the lack of fog lamps, that'll just cost you about 10k. Side mirrors can also be color-keyed (either painted or with covers). Roof rails aren't much of a deal-breaker to me since the car doesn't look disproportionate without it. The rear spoiler can easily be added for a few grand too, though again, the car looks fine without it.

Between the Sorento and the Santa Fe, I'd get the Sorento not only because it's cheaper, but because it has a much more modern and classy interior (wood trim on the SF is a turn-off). Also looks better on the outside. Then there's the fact that the new SF's already here. I bet the facelifted Sorento will still take at least a full year before it reaches our shores.

The bigger engine of the Sorento doesn't make it any faster than the Sportage or Tucson though, because the extra 20 HP also comes with an extra 300 kg.

**GTi** · July 7th, 2012 04:38 PM

So dream car mo pala talaga ang Explorer Ecoboost? Hindi bali. The Sorento will not disappoint, be it in terms of gas mileage or performance when compared with the Explorer. Since you managed to save a lot by buying this instead of the SF or even the Explorer, you can even mod it to reach 240hp like the Ecoboost to further satisfy your cravings should you wish.

**yebo** · July 7th, 2012 05:09 PM

ang dream car ko ferrari, kahit ano basta red.

syempre pag sinabing dream car yung talagang hanggang dream na lang talaga di ba.

balak ko nga sana yung explorer kaya lang sana next year pa. sa next year kasi may mare-retire akong 2 loans ko, so mucho spare dimes na ulit without affecting my savings goals. pero syempre pag bumili ako ng sorento or sta fe wala na ko paglalagyan ng explorer, 2 car garage lang eh, di na kasya so forget ko na muna yung explorer until pwede na ulit. di naman pwede mag-wait until next year at itinirik ng 09 sta fe namin si misis kahapon kung kelan pa malakas ang ulan. basag daw bearing ng steering column. napalitan na yung bearing, ok na siya ulit pero the big question is "until when?" i already spent almost 300k for repairs, tama na siguro yun (dapat nga nuon pa!) kung ngayon ako bibili, at least pag sorento/sta fe e makakapag-save pa din ako, pag explorer ang bibilhin ko e stagnant na bank book ko.

**Starex_Gold** · July 7th, 2012 05:47 PM

Eto lang ha, kung gusto mo talaga ng Explorer, intayin mo nalang

Mahirap kasi yung bibili ka ng Sorento. Tapos everytime na makakakita ka ng Explorer pagdating ng time na pwede ka na dapat bumili, andun yung pagsisisi.

Kung ano talaga ang gusto, sundin

**dct** · July 7th, 2012 06:08 PM

Tama si starex_gold nsa huli ang pagsisisi :D pero kng hnd n tlga makaanaty, i prefer sorento than santa fe. Una pa lang, magmukhang luma dahil sa 2013 sta fe. Sorento bago bago pa e. Mas maporma dn sorento. Or pwd rin sportage kung hnd mo rin tlga nagagamit space.

**GTi** · July 7th, 2012 07:44 PM

I suppose you can get the Sorento now. And then when your bankbook has sufficiently recovered, you can sell the Sorento and get the Explorer. Sorento's are very easy to sell, so that is not a problem.

**IMm29** · July 7th, 2012 07:45 PM

Fog retrofit kay garyq is P14k. Will beat out oems fogs + hid kit any day!

Hi yebo. Been doing some research for a friend on the Sorento and Sportage. It's P1.290m mid level Sporty vs P1.330m bare Sorento. Yes you cant buy space but u can buy accessories.

Long story short, he's just looking for someone to buy his Carens so he can get an LX Sorento.

Personally I think the boxy Sorento is a breath of fresh air in a sea of Gen2 Sta Fes. Though the LX is bare, it's not that much barer compared to the EX. It's not Innova V vs J, IMO. At least not to what matters to me. Test drive definitely.

**IMm29** · July 7th, 2012 07:49 PM

On the argument for another car while waiting for ur Explorer, baka mahirapan kang idispose yun when the time comes, especially if the wifey loves it already. Hehe!

But u have the GS naman so space wise use that. Space bowled my friend over coz 1 car lang sya. In ur case, a diesel Sporty might do the temporary trick.

Still, my 1 vote goes to the Sorento.

Un din daw bibilhin ni OB - black LX diesel. Hehe! Baka makapareho pa kayo.

**yebo** · July 7th, 2012 08:55 PM

it really is looking more and more that it will be the sorento, get it bare then mods na lang. though i'm tempted to wait a year for the explorer the need is now already e, i can't trust the santa fe anymore. just imagine 2 weeks ago i did 170kph on the santa fe at sctex. what if the steering jammed then, matatapos ko kaya yung Lord's prayer bago sumalpok sa bangin? si misis nga kahapon buti daw mabagal takbo nya nung biglang nag-seize yung bearing ng steering. another things is importante din kasi sa akin na ma-meet ko yung savings goals ko so forget na muna ang explorer.

most probably it will be white. which kia dealer gives the best deals? best service?

**renzo_d10** · July 7th, 2012 09:10 PM

The Explorer will just drain your money that's supposed to be allotted for your savings. Ubos yan for gas, maintenance & insurance alone. Magkano pa yan diba, ~2M compared sa Sorento which is just ~1.3M. So roughly, 700k ang matitipid mo from buying the Sorento over the Explorer. Mas mura pa malamang maintenance, diesel & insurance. So that's added savings for you.

When you see an Explorer around, no matter how beautiful it is, just remember that whenever you pay your dues for the Sorento a lot are also allotted for your future savings and whenever you pull over on a gasoline station a smile on your face grows when you see that diesel is just under or a little over 40 pesos and gasoline is over 50.

It's hard to wait for your dream car while putting other people at risk -- in this case, your wife.. -- hindi siya worth it. Baka nga naintay mo naman yung Explorer pero kung ano naman mangyari [knock on wood...] sa kung sinong tao na nagddrive ng deadly santa fe mo.

Who knows, baka pag nabayaran mo na yung Sorento an SUV much better than the Explorer gets released. Maybe the All-new Expedition?